Apparatus for producing a continuous sliver composed of rayon staple fibers from endless rayon filaments



1941- F. AJEfwsKl ETAL 2,231,497

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING'A CONTINUOUS SLIVER COMPOSBD OF RAYON STAPLE FIBERS FROM ENDLESS RAYON FILAMENTS 1 Filed Sgpt. 21, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 lnvemors Fri/z fiojewski By Their- Attorneys Fm "m? lfurf Jehle Mtslswk 36152 4 I F. GAJEWSKI EI'AL 31,497

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING A CONTINUQUS SLIVER CONFUSED 0F RAYON STAPLE FIBERS FRQM ENDLESS RAYON FILAMENTS Filed Sept. 21, 1938 4 3 ShBQtS-ShGBt 2 Invenfors Fritz fiajewski w Fri/z Melms By Their Afforneys Jab/e Feb. 11,1941. F. GAJEWSKI ETAL 2,231,497

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING A CONTINUOUS SLIVER COMPOSED OF RAYON STAPLE FIBERS FROM ENDLESS RAYON FILAMENTS Filed Sept. 21, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 lnvemors Fritz fiajews/ri By TheirAlforneys F If Z Mel/"5 lfurf Jeh/e I Patented Feb. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT orrlce AMENTS.

Fritz Gajewski, Leipzig, Fritz Melms, Wolfen, Kreis Bitterteld, and Kurt. Jehle, Dessau, Germany, assignors, by mesne assignments, to Walther H. Duisberg, New York, N. Y.

Application September 21, 1938,

InGermany September 25,

Serial No. 231,006

7 Claims. (01. 19-1) Our present invention relates to' an apparatus for producing a continuous sliver composed of rayon staple fibers from endless rayon filaments.

Many processes and apparatus have been described for solving the problem of producin rom continuous artificial filaments an extensible sliver or roving, that is to say the problem of converting the continuous artificial filaments into extensible fiber bundles, without disturbing the original 10 parallelism of the individual fibers during the operation. Frequently, however, difiiculties arise in the overlapping of the sections produced by the cutting of the continuous filaments, for these sections must be so distributed in the sliver that a coherent, uniformroving is produced.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a new device which permits the cutting of continuous bundles of artificial filaments of any desired thickness, for example bundles weighing 10-20 rams per meter and at the same time drawing the sections in such a manner that a sliver of staple fibers of predetermined length is produced which has good coherence, satisfactory uniformity and good capacity for being drawn.

Reference is made to the accompanying drawings in Which-' Figures 1 and 2 show diagrammatically theprinciple involved in our novel cutting device,

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic plan view of the cutting device combined with an intersecting gillbox,

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic cross sectional view of the intersecting gill-box'comprising the cutting device according to the invention,

Figure 5 shows by way of example means for moving the rotating knife discs upwards or downwards and sideways.

The simplest construction is illustrated in Fi l 40 ure 1, which represents an elevation in the direction in which. the band l to be ,cut, shown in cross-section, is travelling. 'This band, in order to preserve the parallel relationship or the individual fibers and to prepare for" the overlapping,

must be cut not-by a through-cut but by at least two partial cuts alternating from the edges of the band while the band is moving in such a manner that a stepped cutting is produced corresponding with the number of the cutting knives 2. The I band during its travel is cut alternately-by the knives 2a and 21), so that the limiting line of each cut is approximately in the direction of the diagonal of the cross-section of a band, as indicated by a broken line in Figure 1. The circular '65 knives may either, as indicated by arrows, oscillate on the points 3 or ma have a reciprocating movement perpendicular or inclined to the direction of travel of the band. It is also'possible to produce the spaced cuts by means of a knife guided in a curved path.

Figure 2 illustrates the same cutting device in a machine for dealing with four bands of fibers. The bands la, lb, Ic, Id are alternately cut in the manner described by the moving circular knives 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e the knife 2b which is centrally spaced being so moved as to serve the four bands. The limit oi! the cut formed by the severalknives is indicated by the broken diagonal line in the cross-section of each band.

Instead of the circular knives there may be used a single or double edged band knife which cuts the travelling bands with a partial cut, as described for the circular knives.

In another construction the knife during'the;

' cut bands are beingfurther worked. A cutting mechanism comprises the circular knives 2 arranged in an intersecting gill-box. This construction has the advantage that the cut fibers are positively guided by the sets of fallers and that the cut is produced in the fibers while it is in tension owing to the higher speed of the fallers compared with that of the delivery cylin-' der. The continuous fiber band I is delivered to the cutting table by the draught cylinder 4 which precedes the friction roller 5. The band is delivered in the broadest possible form. The cutting table (not shown in the drawings) should have suitably fnarrow slits through which the knives 2 move to and fro. Preferably, a part of the knife is above and, a part below the cutting plane. By controllingthe speed of the feed i -om thedelivery cylinder an'd the lateral movement of thecutting knife, the length .of the sta :ls regulated. 1

The pieces of ban ichliavejbeen cu the knives 2 are engaged'by the -.fall'e'rs and successively drawn off by the tallers I owin their higher speed, whereas the parts which e' the reed;

not out are held back by the pressure of cylinder 4 and by the fallers. A further draught is produced by the drawing cylinder 6.

In Figure 4, which shows the apparatus of Fig-" ure 3 in cross-section, a is the bundle of continuous filaments, while b hidicates the continuous sliver produced by cutting and drawing on the gill-box. Identical reference numerals show partscorrespondingwithFigui-e3. Themeans providing a to-and-fro-movement of the rotary cutting discs 2a and 2b and which cause the engagement of the knives into and out of the continuous bundle a is shown diagrammatically in this figure. Thus, 3 represents driving means, for instance electric motors, which by means of the roller 3 and the belt ll cause rotation of knives and 2b.

The push rod ll causes the reciprocating lateral movement of the cutters, while the means for producing up and down movement thereof are not shown in this figure.

In Figure 5, 9 is a motor with driving belt III, which is led over roller 3 and rotates the cutter 2a. The curved disc [3' by means of the push rods l I and I5 which latter engages the periphery thereof with its end piece l6 and is pivoted on the shaft of the motor 9 controls the up and down movement of the knife 2a. The rotaryexcentric disc l4 causes the push rod I 2, mounted on the disc by its slitted end piece I 9 and secured to push rod H at the joint 20 to perform a to-and-fro-movement in the direction of the arrows. The roll I! runs on the periphery of disc M, which rotates around the turning point It.

By these means the center of the knife 2a is 40 ings, we do not wish to limit ourselves to this specific embodiment.

A, further possibility for the arrangement of a the cutting device is that the cutter is not arranged between the feed cylinder 4 and the friction roller 5 but within the intersecting gill-box.

In this case the rotating knives are so guided by mounting their axes in grooves that they can move with the needle rods in the direction of the band. The shafts must then be arranged to be movable in the vertical direction so that when the cutting operation is complete they may be removed from-the gill-box and brought into the initial position.

It is also possible in the arrangement first 5 described to arrange the knife not, as indicated two rotary cutting blades alternately engagingsaid bundle of continuous filaments, driving means for rotating said blades, and means for imparting to said blades a double reciprocating movement in lateral and vertical direction, one of said rotating cutting blades cutting only one portion of. said bundle and another blade cutting another portion, each partial out being spaced from the other by a predetermined distance longitudinally of the filament bundle.

1 Acutiingdeviceforconvertingabtmdleot continuous filaments into an extensible sliver composed of staple fibers in substantially parallel alignment, comprising in combination, at least two rotary cutting blades alternately engaging said bundle of continuous filaments, driving means for rotating said blades, and means for imparting to said blades a double reciprocating movement in lateral and vertical direction, means for feeding the bundle of continuous filaments to said cutting blades and means for withdrawing the sliver of cut filaments from the cutting.

area, one of said rotating cutting blades cutting only one portion of said bundle and another blade cutting another portion, each partial out being spaced from the other by a distance longitudinally of the filament bundle controlled by the speed of said feeding means.

3. A cutting device 'for converting several bundles of continuous filaments into extensible slivers composed of staple fibers in substantially parallel alignment comprising in combination five rotary cutting blades, two of said blades alternately engaging a bundle of continuous filaments, driving means for rotating said blades. and means for imparting to said blades a double reciprocating movement in lateral and vertical direction, one of said rotating cutting blades cutting only one portion of said bundle and the next blades cutting another portion, each partial out being spaced from the other by a predetermined distance longitudinally of the filament bundle.

4. A cutting device for converting a bundle of continuous filaments into an extensible sliver I composed of staple fibers in substantially parallel alignment comprising in combination, at least two rotary cutting blades alternately engaging said bundle of continuous filaments arranged in different planes, driving means for rotating said blades, and means for imparting to said blades a double reciprocating movement in lateral and vertical direction, one of said rotating cutting blades cutting only one portion of said bundle and another blade cutting another portion, each partial out being spaced from the other by a predetermined distance longitudinally of the filament bundle.

5. A cutting device for converting a bundle of continuous filaments into an extensible sliver composed of staple fibers in subtantially parallel alignment, comprising in combination two rotaly cutting blades alternately engaging said bundle of continuous filaments arranged in front of an intersecting gill-box, two electric motors imparting rotary movement to said blades, means comprising a curved disc and a push rod arrangement connected with the center of each of said blades, said means imparting to said blade a reciprocating lateral movement, means comprising an excentric disc and a push rod arrangement connecting said disc with the center of each of said blades, said last named means imparting to said discs a reciprocating vertical movement, a series of rollers for feeding said bundle of continuous filaments to said blades, and a series of rollers for withdrawing the cut fibers from said blades, the lateral and vertical movement of said blades being so adjusted that one half of the bundle of continuous filaments is cut by one of said blades, the other half being cut by the other blade, said last named cut being spaced from said first cut by a distance controlled by the bundles of continuous filaments into extensible slivers composed of staple fibers in substantially parallel alignment comprising in combination a number of rotary cutting blades, said number exceeding the number of bundles of filaments by one, driving means for rotating said blades, means for imparting to said blades a double reciprocating movement in lateral and vertical directions, means for guiding each bundle of filaments between and in a direction substantially perpendicular to a pair of adjacent blades, whereby each bundle of filaments is alternately brought into engagement with one blade of said pair, one 0! said blades cutting only one portion of one bundle and the other blade cutting the other portion of said bundle, each partial cut on any one bundle of fibers being spaced from the other by a predetermined distance longitudinally of said filament bundle.

'7. A cutting device for converting four bundles of continuous filaments into extensible slivers composed of staple fibers in substantially parallel alignment comprising in combination five rotary cutting blades, driving means for rotating said blades, means for imparting to said blades a double reciprocating movement in lateral and vertical directions, means for guiding each bundle of filaments between and in a direction substantially perpendicular to a pair of adjacent blades, whereby each bundle of filaments is alternately brought into engagement with one blade of said pair, one of said blades cutting only one portion of one bundle and the other blade cutting the other portion of said bundle, each partial cut on any one bundle of fibers being spaced "from the other by a predetermined distance of said filament bundle.

FRITZ GAJEWSKI. FRITZ MELMS. KURT JEHLE.

longitudinally 

